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January 30 - February 5, 2009 The Independent Weekly 2 www.independentweekly.com.au news Frome one loss to another T ???????????? he State Opposition and its leader, Martin Hamilton-Smith, are reeling from their unex- pected loss of Frome in the January 17 by-election. Frome has been held by the Liberal Party since its inception. It was won by Independent Geoff Brock, who was declared the victor days after Mr Hamilton-Smith issued a confident and premature media release wrongly declaring his own party’s candidate, Terry Boylan, had taken the seat. The party considered challenging the result by asking for a recount, but SA electoral commissioner Kay Mousley dismissed the appeal. Ms Mousley said a process of checks and double-checks had led to only one vote being changed – moving from Labor candidate John Rohde’s returns to be ruled informal. “I do not believe there are sufficient grounds for me to conduct a recount. The returning officer maintained a slow and deliberate pace throughout the entire process and kept scrutineers fully informed of all processes,” she told John Burston, the Liberal Party’s state director. Mr Burton later issued a short statement to the media. “We accept the decision by the electoral commissioner, although we are disappointed given the closeness of the count at the point of Labor’s exclusion,” it said. Mr Hamilton-Smith is embar- rassed by his erroneous victory claim. Worse than his embarrass- ment is the public loss of confidence in his leadership. Deputy Opposition Leader Vickie Chapman was forced to come to his defence, ruling out a leadership challenge with what seemed qualified support. “He could fall under a bus or make a major error but he hasn’t so far.Therefore he is to be given a fair go,” Ms Chapman said in a widely re-quoted assessment. The National Party is also facing the Liberal Party’s wrath for directing preferences to Labor. A subsequent statement from National Party president Wilbur Klein did not address Mr Hamilton- Smith’s trenchant criticism that the Nationals were now firmly in coalition with Labor. Instead, Mr Klein congratulated Mr Brock on his victory and said neither Liberal nor Labor could take comfort in the result. Curiously, Labor’s own poor performance – its vote dropped 15 per cent compared with a Liberal drop of 9 per cent – helped Brock wrest the seat from the Liberal Party. Labor candidate John Rohde came third, which meant his prefer- ???????????????????????????????????????? ences were distributed to Mr Brock. This took Mr Brock ahead of the Liberals. Had Labor finished second instead of third, Mr Brock’s prefer- ences would have been distributed before Labor. This would have given the seat to the Liberals. The preference boondoggle led to angry words between the Opposition Leader’s office, the ABC, and Status of Women Minister Gail Gago. Mr Hamilton-Smith’s chief media advisor, respected journalist and former ABC radio presenter Kevin Naughton, had sent an e-mail to Matthew Abraham and David Bevan, who present the ABC’s morning show. In that e-mail, he said that the Opposition was subjected to a “political gang bang” by the preference-swapping arrange- ments. The e-mail was read on-air by the presenters. They tell We tell you what. you why. $1.50 per week delivered to your home or office every Friday* To subscribe visit www.independentweekly.com.au or call us on 8224 1600. *only where normal home delivery exists INDEX HOME DELIVERY CALL 8224 1600 news 2-5 hear’say 6 letters & opinions LIQUIDATION ONE WEEK ONLY! MATTRESS Queen Pillowtop mattress from .........$299 Double mattress with base from ........$349 All new.With Warranty. All sizes 17 styles. Phone for details. Ph: 1300 79 19 19 business news 7-10 11-13 shares/punter 12 resources 14 ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? happenings 31 media & marketing 32 professions 33 ??????????????????? ?????????????????? Ms Gago then issued a media release which called on Ms Chapman to admonish Mr Naughton for his use of the term. “This is offensive language that trivialises the serious offence of gang rape,” Ms Gago said. “Gang rape is a monstrous and grotesque crime. I hope Vickie Chapman will repudiate such violent language being used to politically sensation- alise this debate. “To equate the distribution of preferences in a by-election to gang rape is bizarre and shows just how out of touch the Liberals are with public opinion.” Naughton was incensed by the accusation. “I request that you immediately recall and withdraw your misleading press release,” Mr Naughton told the Minister. “At no stage is the word rape mentioned. A political gang bang is a common term in US politics ???????????????????????The Recorder???????????? to describe where a group of candidates rounds on one single candidate in their campaigning. The term is also common in computing groups to describe the storming of an online poll, flooding of a site, or other co-ordinated activities to frustrate normal activity.” Mr Naughton seems justified in his defence. In a press release dated January 11, the National Organisation for Women in New York referred to the “psychological gang banging” of Hillary Clinton during her run for the US Presidency. Semantics aside, Brock will take his place on the cross-benches when Parliament resumes next Tuesday. Two independents already sit in the Labor Ministry. They are the Nationals’ Karlene Maywald and former Liberal Rory McEwen. ? Lost moment for the Libs, page 7 Top union takes on Rann One of SA’s main unions, the Public Service Association which covers most white-collar government employees, has launched an extensive campaign against Premier Mike Rann’s move to abolish State Parliament’s Upper House. Mr Rann has promised a referendum coinciding with the election in March next year to abolish or curtail the powers of the Legislative Council. The PSA is firmly against the move, and has produced a DVD which it’s mailing to all its union representatives in more than 1000 worksites. Copies will also go to State MPs, and have been posted on the union’s website. It features former No Pokies MLC Nick Xenophon arguing for the Upper House to be retained, and comments from Flinders University political scientist Professor Haydon Manning. “Democracy is about giving people a choice on election day and the Upper House delivers that,” Prof Manning says. “Because of the way we count spectrum 34 eat 35 thirst 36 votes in the Upper House minor par- ties and independents have a chance.” The DVD quotes Mr Rann’s previous support for the Legislative Council, in which he called the Upper House a “model for democracy for the country”. “Let’s not forget that it was Don Dunstan’s reforms that gave us an Upper House elected by all voters over 18 in one electorate – the entire state,” Mr Rann said at the time. The PSA campaign also focuses on the Upper House’s role in stopping the Olsen Liberal Government privatising the Lotteries Commission in 2000, and the Liberal’s 1995 attempt to reduce workers’ compensation for on-the- job injuries or deaths. It says that without the Legislative Council, any government with just 51 per cent of the electorate’s support would have 100 per cent of the state’s political power. Mr Rann has largely stayed silent on the referendum proposal, and govern- ment backbenchers are unconvinced that it will proceed. galleries 37-39 arts 40 TV 42 sport 43-44 The Independent Weekly is a South Australian owned and operated newspaper, taking an independent view of local news, issues, business, sport and culture for all South Australians. www.independentweekly.com.au ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Publisher: Paul Hamra ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????: Bill Nicholas, bnicholas@independentweekly.com.au ?????: Ann Oliver ?????: Philip White ???????????: Tom Richardson and Don Riddell ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????: Kate Elmes ???????????? George Aldridge ???????????????????: Liz Smelt ??????????????????? Suzie Keen ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Andrew Bull abull@independentweekly.com.au ??????: Karen Lowndes, Justin Edwards ????????????: India Wallace, Alison Todd, Helen Rogers advertising@independentweekly.com.au ?????????????????????????????: Peter Jarrett, Alison Moylan, circulation@independentweekly.com.au – Hendrik Gout